Will I be working with him?
He’s just standing there, staring, and I think I might explode from all the tension.
“Oh my God,” Kelly says cheerfully, completely ruining my internal spiral. “This Neanderthal with no manners is my baby brother, Thatcher McCrae.”
Baby brother?
I blink.
Picturing this man as anything other than the tall, glorious, mountain demi-god he is, is profoundly difficult.
“Did you eat lunch?” she adds, using a tone that suggests she’s asked this question for the last thirty-five years.
“Not yet,” he says, narrowing his eyes at her. “Did you?”
Their eyes lock in a way that feels practiced.
Familiar. Comfortable.
His eyes are dark.
Darker than mine.
Deep brown, almost black, framed by thick lashes that don’t seem fair on a man who looks like he could bench-press a small car.
His hair is the same dark shade, tousled like he ran his hands through it one too many times.
There’s scruff along his jaw, shadowing his face, and somehow that only makes him more—him.
Despite everything about him screaming rough and intimidating, I think he might be the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
Is that dumb? Calling this man beautiful?
That thought sneaks up on me, unwelcome and undeniable.
And really, it is dumb because I’m pretty sure Kelly just told me he’s the boss. As inmyboss.
I can see the resemblance between him and Kelly now—the strong features, the same stubborn chin.
She’s blonde, softer somehow, with laugh lines around her eyes that tell you she’s kind even when she’s bossy.
“I was going to have lunch at home today,” Kelly says. “Remember? I’m leaving early to go over procedures and aftercare with the surgeon’s assistant.”
He nods immediately, all seriousness now.
“Right. Go.”
Then he looks at me.
“I can get Willow settled in.”
Yes, please.
My stomach flips so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t knock me over.
Kelly hesitates, then adds casually, “Okay, sure. Oh, I told her she could stay in the old security guard cabin on the property since she doesn’t have a permanent place in town yet. That okay with you?”
My chest tightens.
